Odds and Ins or How Chatty's Mind Thinks

Okay went back to Anchorage, stayed the night, and then rented a car to head on to Seward and then Homer. Tomorrow Seward, but to take a little "Wednesday" break . . .

A hodgepodge of thoughts today.

I was going to delete this quote - I just couldn't though - it intrigued me - what do you think this means? And don't you think sometimes you have to let go of the vine? What the heck does the vine mean? I know what it means to Tarzan, but what does it mean to us?

"Don't let go of the vine."
- Johnny Weissmuller, film's Tarzan

Saw this on a website yesterday I read and thought I'd share how to better your health. It's about Jack Lalanee at 93!
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/08/11/Do-You-Want-to-Look-Like-This--Great-Reasons-to-Exercise-and-Eat-Right.aspx

Went to hear a speaker Monday night on journaling and this is a site she recommended if you want to check out journaling ideas.
http://www.journalinglife.com/

Okay heard this on the radio yesterday - What part of the bathroom (when you go out) - is the dirtiest place? The floor! It has e-coli, staph, strep, rhino virus, and more! Ladies keep your purse up. The guy on the radio said how do you get germs off the floor? Are you kidding - does he have kids?

My daughter found a brochure last weekend - it advertised Paradise Valley Resort - a nude resort - sorry but yuck! Can't believe we have one here in Georgia. I mean how would you sit anywhere? I'm just thinking here, bad thinking I admit, but thinking non-the-less. http://www.paradisevalleyclub.com/

Did you hear Brookes and Dunn - are ending their 20 year run?

And last but not least Keith Urban - "Taylor Swift Pranks Keith Urban in Kansas City, MO" - what a neat young woman Taylor Swift is and of course love Keith. So much fun - wish I could have been there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-QBbAhNukY&feature=email

Woodstock in 1969 - I remember the year - why? Because of music.

Do you know the answer to this trivia question? What Beatles film was released on August 11, 1964? I remember exactly and why do I remember? The music. It was "A hard Day's Night".

Do you remember what year The Graduate came out? I do - why - the music. 1967/68 is when I saw it. Movies were first coming out and they stayed a long, long time at the theater. I must have seen it ten times. Made me remember 1968.

Now I heard "Cullowhee" in Alaska and it will forever be associated with this summer. See the upper right for two songs.

Like Trisha Yearwood says in her song - The Song Remembers When. Music is such an integral part of my life. It is in my soul for sure. Is everyone like that or do others have different integral things? My soul is music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydVSDgP9w-A The Song Remembers When.

More questions than answers today. Have a GREAT hump day.
Chatty

Laughter

I get the newsletter from Dr. Mercola at http://www.mercola.com/ This guy has a lot to say about everything! I know I need to incorporate some laughter into my life - I saw this article and it was just what I needed. I thought I'd share it.

"What Makes Laughter the Best Medicine?

Laughter has a real beneficial effect on your physical health, according to research. In the study, subjects were observed as they watched both serious movies and comedies. During the comedies, their arteries dilated and their blood pressure dropped, suggesting that laughter can in fact be a powerful medicine indeed.The study looked at 20 healthy participants with an average age of 33. The results showed for the first time that laughter is linked to healthy function of blood vessels. It appears to cause the endothelium, which is the tissue that forms the inner lining of blood vessels, to dilate or expand in order to increase blood flow.The study also showed that the opposite effect occurred when the subjects watched suspenseful films, suggesting a link between mental stress and the narrowing of blood vessels.A separate study also found that viewing a humorous film may be helpful for the study and treatment of local IgE production and allergy in the reproductive tract.

Sources:
Finding Dulcinea April 1, 2009
Journal Psychosomatic Research February 2009; 66(2):173-5

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

It’s said that children laugh 100 times a day, sometimes more. But by the time we reach adulthood, we’re lucky if we laugh even a handful of times in a 24-hour period. This is a shame considering a good laugh can not only melt away stress almost instantly, but it has numerous beneficial impacts on your physical health, including a potential to help allergies and your heart.The study by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore mentioned above is one of the most groundbreaking in terms of laughter’s role in your health. It actually shows that laughing may help reduce your risk of heart disease in ways similar to exercise. A Laughter “Workout.”

The researchers examined the connection between blood vessels' ability to expand (vasodilation) and laughter. If vasodilation is poor, it can increase your risk of heart attack and stroke. The study involved 20 adults who watched clips of a violent movie and a humorous movie and had their vasodilation tested.

They found that:
• Blood flow was significantly reduced (by about 35 percent) in 14 of the 20 volunteers who saw the stressful film.
• Blood flow significantly increased (by 22 percent) in 19 of the 20 volunteers after watching the funny movie.

The improvement in blood flow experienced by most all participants after laughter was equal to the improvements seen after a 15- or 30-minute workout!

Why Else Should You Laugh More?

The University of Maryland researchers believe laughing causes your body to release beneficial chemicals called endorphins, natural “pain killers” that contribute to your sense of well-being and may counteract the effects of stress hormones and cause blood vessels to dilate.Previous research has even found that just anticipating laughter can increase your endorphin levels, whereas laughing may help boost your immune system and reduce inflammation in your body, which is linked to a variety of diseases.Japanese researchers have also found a role for laughter in helping people with type 2 diabetes, as there was a significantly smaller spike in blood sugar after a meal when diabetics watched a popular comedy show compared to listening to a boring lecture.

Other benefits of laughing include:
• Relaxation and reduction in muscle tension
• Lowered production of stress hormones
• Improved immune system function
• Reduction in blood pressure
• Clearing your lungs by dislodging mucous plugs
• Increasing the production of salivary immunoglobulin A, which defends against infectious organisms that enter through your respiratory tract
• Aerobic effects that increase your body‘s ability to utilize oxygen• A rapid ability to disregard aches and pains or to perceive them as less severe

Laughing is Only One Part of Staying Positive

When you laugh, you’re helping yourself to stay positive, and that is really the name of the game when it comes to your health and happiness. People with a positive outlook are typically easy to spot; they’re the ones who are quick to smile and laugh, don’t take themselves too seriously and are generally a joy to be around.They’re also the ones who are most likely to be leading great lives, as research has proven that happy people live longer, are healthier, are more successful, enjoy more fulfilling relationships, earn more money, and are liked and respected more.But even happy people know they don‘t get to be happy all the time, so they learn to appreciate brief moments, little victories, small miracles, and the personal interactions that bring real happiness.

And when they do face a setback, they know how to quickly address their negative emotions using tools like the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). For most people, though, it is very difficult to define what truly makes you happy. So I want to reiterate a definition that you can grasp and apply to your life with greater ease.

Happiness can be identified as “whatever gets you excited.” Happiness is that which makes you jump out of bed in the morning with eager anticipation to start your day. Once you identify that activity, whatever it is, you can start focusing your mind around that so you can structure you life to do more of it.

As you begin to do this, you’ll find you have an easier time laughing and smiling more often, and this is quite contagious. The more you are happy, the easier it becomes and the better you’ll feel. Even if you‘re not feeling happy today, fake it. In experiments, people who were manipulated to smile actually felt happier.Besides, what have you got to lose? Put a smile on your face and find reasons to laugh each and every day. Who knows, you may just start to enjoy life after all."

Article taken from Dr. Mercola.

I'm trying to get my own groove back! :)
Chatty

7 Ways to Deal with Annoying People and Still Get Things Done

Well, I probably bored you to death last week with love. Love is hard to define and I wonder how many people find or are in love . . . how many people stay in love . . . or if love lasts.

So to start the week with a little bit of an opposite thought:

7 Ways to Deal with Annoying People and Still Get Things Done

"You can’t get along with everyone. But throughout your life, you’ll be in situations where you simply have to communicate with some of those people you just can’t stand. This may be an annoying boss, an ingratiating fan, a spineless co-worker, a difficult client, an abrasive in-law, and any number of people with any number of faults.

You don’t always have to be nice -- professional and to-the-point will often get the job done just as well -- but you do need to make yourself understood clearly or risk letting your dislike translate into inefficient communication that hinders or even entirely undermines whatever projects you’re working on.

1. Listen

A lot of conflicts are based in misunderstandings, so always make sure you’re getting everything. Use careful questioning to focus the other person on the topic at hand so they give you what you need and avoid straying too far.

2. Repeat Everything

Your feelings about another person can color your perception of what they’re saying. To avoid this, repeat back any instructions, questions, or other problems they pose to you to make sure you absolutely understand.

3. Keep Your Cool

It’s tempting to want to argue with people who rub you the wrong way. Don’t do that! Unless they’re wrong about something that directly and materially affects you, don’t bother. Save the debates for when you’re with friends whose opinions matter to you.

4. Be Clear About Boundaries

You don’t have to be friends with everyone. Which means you don’t have to do favors for everyone who asks.

5. Fight Fire With Ice

The worst thing you can do with angry or irrational people is engage them. As hard as it might seem to do, the best thing is to sit quietly and let them spend themselves ranting and raving, and then ask if they’d like to schedule a time to discuss the matter more calmly and return to whatever you were doing. If this sets off another round of yelling, simply wait it out and repeat.

6. Close the Door

Remember that your time is your own -- don’t let other people, especially ones you’d rather not interact with, take control of your time. Communication outside of the narrow band needed to fulfill both of your objectives should be minimized.

7. You’re Valuable -- Remember That

If you’ve found yourself in a position where you are obligated for some reason to spend time with someone you dislike, remember that most likely, they are in the same position with regard to you. But you wouldn’t be in that situation if you didn’t provide something of value, whether that’s a work skill or talent, specialized knowledge, even things as abstract as emotional support or solidarity.

People that are annoying, difficult, selfish, boring, or otherwise a chore to deal with are that way for reasons that have nothing to do with you -- it’s not your job to fix, engage with, or indulge those tendencies. Don’t worry abut figuring them out or correcting them; worry instead about how you’re going to manage their annoyances without letting it hinder your ability to achieve your own goals."

Sources: Dr. Mercola and Lifehack January 28, 2009

Actually, this would be a nice way to treat everyone! Listen, Repeat, Keep your cool, set boundaries, fight fire with ice, close the door, and remember you're valuable!

Chatty